Seeds as a Go-ing Away Gift for Guests At A Wedding or Forget me Not At A Funeral

Wildflowers montage from Western Australia. 

By raygday in Wikipedia Commons.

At this week's reception after a funeral, I sat next to former neighbours who, like us, had travelled from a distance. After we had reminisced about our times together, twenty years ago, and discussed the doves released at our mutual neighbour's funeral (described in my previous post) they told us about another funeral novelty, flower seeds.

Poppy Seeds

My former nearby neighbour said: 

'"We went to a funeral where everybody was given a packet of seeds at a funeral, 'so that when the flowers grow you will remember me'. It wasn't planned by the surviving relatives but by the deceased person themselves. They must have put it in their funeral plan which they had arranged in advance some time before they died. 

"We had a packet of seeds which just said, flower seeds. We didn't know what they were. We just threw them out in the garden over some soil which I had dug up. That was lucky. We were amazed when the flowers came up next spring in brilliant colours, They were poppies. We didn't bury them, just threw them out, scattered them. Poppies like newly dug earth. That's why they grew so well, everywhere, after WWI, over the dug up soil, for trenches and burials and so on."

The speakers' wife added:

"We also went to a wedding where we were given seeds. They were meadow flowers. Nowadays you would call them weeds. Wild flowers. Nowadays they are rare and in demand. The bride wanted something that would last and grow, like the marriage, she hoped."

Useful Websites

UK

https://www.wildflower.co.uk/products/wildflower-seed-mixtures/100-wildflower-seed-mixtures/

About the Author

Angela Lansbury was born and bred in Britain, and has lived in the USA and Singapore. Her family has worked in or lived in Spain and Switzerland. 

She is the author of several book on public speaking and quotations.

She is a member of Toastmasters Clubs meeting on Zoom with visitors from the UK and USA, India, Sri Lanka, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Through the Toastmasters mentoring program Angela has connected with individuals in Vietnam and Romania, and Belize, a different connection each month. Please come to the next BHA Toastmasters meeting on the 3rd Saturday afternoon every month.

Angela is a member of Harrovian Speakers, London (two Monday evenings each month (BST or GMT) currently part in person and part on Zoom, and VP PR for BHA (1st Monday evening and 3rd Saturday afternoon Singapore Time; and TCA, one Tuesday evening a month, both currently on Zoom, as well as secretary for Singapore Online Dynamic which is online only and always, Friday evening 9.30 pm Singapore time.   

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